Winches are used in numerous applications to lift or move heavy loads. Common applications include mounting them on tow trucks to pull a disabled vehicle onto the bed of the tow truck or lift one end of the disabled vehicle so that it can be hauled away. Another common application is to mount on the front or rear end of a vehicle to assist in retrieving the vehicle where it is stuck.
In order to operate a winch it is necessary to be able to pull line off of the spool as well as be able retrieve the line with a load on it. Pulling line off of the spool or paying it out can be done by running the motor backwards such that the spool unwinds the line. While this method will work, it is often time consuming, especially if a significant amount of line must be paid out. In these situations it is beneficial to disengage the spool from the drive mechanism. This allows the spool to rotate freely and for the line to be manually pulled off of the spool. Disengaging the spool is typically accomplished by a clutch mechanism. In the past operation of the clutch mechanism is accomplished through direct manual control of clutch. This requires the operator to be standing next to the winch and manually operate a gear lever. As can be imagined if the operator is loading a vehicle or moving another type of large load, standing next to the winch may not be the most convenient or safe location.
What is needed is an apparatus that allows a winch operator to engage and disengage a clutch without standing next to the winch.